Col. Ron Fitch, a former battalion commander in the 7th Special Forces Group, took the garrison commander’s job at the post, which oversees the buildings, roads and training areas of the 135,000 acres south of Colorado Springs and its 235,000-acre Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site.

Fitch says his time with the Green Berets will help through what is known as one of the Army’s most difficult jobs.